CASTEL DI SANGRO – Lorenzo Germani prepared for the Giro d'Italia by cycling, going to the sauna, and doing roller skates in the bathroom, with the hot water running. He resorted to Heat Training: training in the heat. It is not a new practice. We have talked about Alberto Dainese who followed him preparing for the Vuelta four years ago, we already had explored the concepts with Giacomo Notari, while the EF Education-Easy Post dedicated to him an interesting insight on your site. Several athletes have chosen it as a replacement method for altitude: because the altitude doesn't give them the results they hoped for or because they are allergic to interminable retreats on Teide, Sierra Nevada, Etna or Livigno.
The goal is bring out the best in your body and do it legallyFrom training to nutrition. Whatever stunt you happen to read about in this regard, take it with a smile and the knowledge that certain results were once achieved with doping. The study of legal, albeit unusual, methodologies testifies to a healthy, curious and research-oriented cycling.
So if there are athletes who spend endless periods at high altitude and others who prefer hotels with hypobaric chambers at sea level or hypoxic tents at home, There are also those who aim to increase the plasma volume and obtain favorable physiological adaptations, using heat. Like Germani, a 23 year old rider of the Groupama-FDJ, who is doing a dark but powerful and valuable job for the team at the Giro d'Italia (opening with david gaudu). And perhaps, now that the Frenchman has dropped out of the rankings, he will have more space for himselfIn the meantime, however, we asked him to tell us about his experience.
Why focus on heat adaptation? Was it your idea or the team's?
I had heard of others doing it. I looked into the matter further and wanted to try it.I realized that I had significant advantages over altitude, which in reality had never given me any great advantages. So I talked about it with the team and already last year for the Return we had put similar protocols into practiceThey also found themselves delving into the topic and created targeted training plans for us.
What is it for and what are the benefits you talk about?
You train so that on race day body temperature is lower for the same intensity of effortA general state of well-being is created. Furthermore, fewer electrolytes are lost when sweating. increases plasma volume, something that is normally pursued in high altitude preparations.
How does it work?
I split it between sauna and roller training. Preparing for the Giro, I did it for three weeks, a couple of times a week. I used to go out on my bike and after training I would change and go straight to the finnish saunaI'd stay there for half an hour at 80, 90 degrees. Then I'd go out and let the temperature stay high. I didn't throw cold water on my legs like some people do. you have to let the body learn to lower its temperature by itself. Alternatively I did rollers.
Always after training?
Exactly. I'd come home, put the bike on the rollers in the bathroom, and turn on the hot water. I dressed up like an Eskimo and started pedalingIn the first part, you try to push a little harder to get your heart rate up quickly, and then you just watch your heart rate. Let's say that in this case, watts and heart rate are inversely proportional.
Why dress warmly? And is it enough to just turn on the hot water, or do you use space heaters?
Hot water is enough, which produces heat and humidity. Why cover up so much? The more you dress, the less you have to push, because the temperature rises easilyThe important thing is to cover the extremities of the body well, such as the hands or head, because there are more capillaries and nerve endings.
Can you drink during this phase?
No, forbidden. I drank before and after, but not during, to get the maximum benefit.. Same thing when I finished, I let the temperature remain as high as possible and for as long as possible. For example, I took a hot shower.
How long does the roller session last, half an hour like a sauna?
A little more, between three quarters of an hour and an hour.
Which of the two methods is more profitable?
In theory it should be the same. I preferred the sauna, because maybe I would have had to take that hour dedicated to the rollers away from the time spent doing the bike work.Doing it actively, such as pedaling on rollers, creates even more fatigue. While doing it passively, such as in a sauna, you should experience benefits without creating additional stress on your body.
Do you see benefits gradually or do you notice that something has changed for the better at the end of the three weeks?
Some changes you can immediately feel it as they adapt to the heatFor example, I've always struggled in the sauna, so initially after a quarter of an hour I had to get out, take a moment to recover, and then go back in. The last few times, however, I did 30 minutes straight. Same thing with the rollers. The first time I had a certain heart rate at a certain watt, in the end I had the same watts but with fewer heartbeatsThese are the parameters.
Why resort to these systems and not go to high altitude?
I've been doing it for the last two years and I didn't see any big advantages and so I preferred to train more, also because when you go to altitude you always train a little less.
Since you recently moved in with your partner, how did she take the rollers and the tropical temperature in the bathroom?
Here this could be the sore point (laughs, ed.) One time she needed the bathroom, but she had to wait for me to finish and she wasn't very happy. Instead one day I needed help, I was desperateI had 20 minutes left, I was really at the end of my tether. And I asked her to come and give me moral support, and she replied that she was studying and couldn't move.
And you?
When we finally found ourselves at the table, I told her I was upset and that his company would be enough for me. And she laughed and said that she thought that I wanted it in the bathroom just to warm it up a little more, because with one more body the room would have been warmer…
